Guardian Readalong: Vol. 3, Bonus Story: Pocket Dimension

[china_shop]

Hi, and welcome to the last installment of the Guardian novel readalong!

Here is last week's post about the Shen San extra, and you can find all previous discussions in the schedule posts (part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5), or via the !readalong tag.

In this week's extra, Pocket Dimension: Zhao Yunlan shows Shen Wei how to send red envelopes from his new phone, and Shen Wei sends bonuses to the SID team until he runs out of money. Everyone wants to work for the SID under Kunlun-jun, so Shen Wei has devised personalised applications. Mysteriously, more than twice as many applications have been returned as were sent out. Zhu Hong's Fourth Uncle disappears while visiting the South Sea Water Tribe, and Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei go to investigate. They get caught in a vortex full of bubble AUs, each with a connection point to the real world. Zhao Yunlan escapes from eighty-one pocket dimensions and reunites with Shen Wei, who seems traumatised. Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei take a seaside vacation. Shen Wei thinks swimming trunks are inelegant.

Excerpts:

1) Shen Wei is possibly even worse at managing money than Zhao Yunlan is

At the day-to-day level, Comrade Shen Wei showed every sign that he really knew how to enjoy life. Having turned his attention from manipulating the Three Realms to eating, dressing, and living well, he was more than prepared for the task.

Looking at the bigger picture, however, it was clear that Shen Wei had never truly engaged with the world. In tumultuous times, he’d hole up somewhere on a mountain. In times of peace, he’d rent some random place and live there for a while. Despite all his years wandering around the Mortal Realm, he had no savings or assets, never mind real estate or housing. To this day, other than his salary card, he didn’t have a single penny to his name.

As for all the famous mountains and rivers of the world, well, the government ran all of that now, and he certainly didn’t get a cut of the tourism money.



2) Shen Wei gives away all his money as SID bonuses

Zhao Yunlan put down his phone and walked over. “Hey, by the way, what kind of secret code is ‘Thank you, Shen-laoshi’? Why is everyone saying that when they come in?”

“Uh…” said Shen Wei.

“For the red envelopes he just sent us, of course,” Chu Shuzhi said. “Our bonus for the Dragon Boat Festival, right?”

Zhao Yunlan grabbed Shen Wei’s phone to find that, in the time he’d been wrapped up on a call, Shen Wei-tongxue had mastered the technique of mobile payments and diligently done some after-class practice. He’d been going down his contacts list and sending each person in the Special Investigations Bureau a red envelope.

It wasn’t the kind where you sent it into the group chat for everyone to fight over—Zhao-laoshi hadn’t reached that lesson yet. No, Shen Wei had sent each one individually, and had only made it halfway through his contacts before running out of money.

His Shen-laoshi viewed cash the same way he viewed in-game currency—and not even the kind you had to buy, but the kind the game gave you for free to start.



3) Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan become trapped in bubbles

In an instant, it became shockingly apparent that something was deeply wrong—he and Zhao Yunlan weren’t actually touching, despite how close together they were. Shen Wei whipped his head around in shock. There was some sort of clear film in between them.

Zhao Yunlan said something, but the sound didn’t penetrate the invisible barrier. Shen Wei read the words off Zhao Yunlan’s lips. “This bubble is…”

Bubble?

Shen Wei looked around. Fourth Uncle’s lamp of life was reflected everywhere, revealing what might’ve been infinite layers of clear film, like soap bubbles clustered together. Vague mirages flickered across the surfaces of the bubbles, reflecting both Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan an endless number of times. It was a frightening sight.



4) What are the bubbles?

The bubble that had separated him and Shen Wei just now was the same as that eleven-year cycle. Every bubble was a world set to repeat over and over for a certain span of time.

Some were simple and crude, repeating every ten minutes; some might seem incredibly real and complex, repeating only after thousands of years.

So this wasn’t some kind of artifact. It was simply all the remains of the sages’ attempts to create the Reincarnation Cycle. The waste from their experiments had been sealed in the South Sea all this time until the seal had first been disturbed by the King of the Gui and then accidentally smashed open by a great yao, leaving it exposed to the Mortal Realm.



5) Zhao Yunlan enjoys some virtual reality alernate lives with his boo

Not every dimension came straight from his memories. Some seemed like memories from a past life, but with subtle differences. Some were of bizarre worlds with just a few familiar segments flashing through them.

Zhao Yunlan rather liked the latter sort because in the course of the five thousand years he’d spent in the Reincarnation Cycle, he had very few memories of Shen Wei. When Zhao Yunlan occasionally managed to catch him, it was inevitably only a brief glimpse before Shen Wei disappeared again.

But in the fake worlds, Shen Wei was always right there at his side, playing different roles in his life. In those worlds, they spent a whole lifetime together until they both found their own connection items and broke out of the cycle…



Questions:
Did you enjoy this extra? What's your favourite thing about it? Do you have questions about what's happened in the six years between the epilogue and now? On a scale of one to ten, how terrible is Zhao Yunlan's dad? When Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan portal to the South Sea, who does the portalling: Shen Wei, Zhao Yunlan, or both separately? We know Fourth Uncle is still alive, but what happened to him? Do you think the question of the duplicate applications was satisfactorily answered? How do you feel about the bubble AUs?

(As usual, these are all just conversation starters - feel free to answer all, some, or none, and to say as much or as little as you like! You don't have to be keeping up with the readalong!)

Finally, I just want to thank everyone who's been part of this readalong, either by hosting, commenting, or reading along! It's been such a pleasure sharing this with you all for the last nearly-ten months. And super special extra thanks to trobadora for being an awesome co-mod! <3 <3 <3

Comments

[china_shop]

Did you enjoy this extra?

It's really fun! I like seeing how everyone's doing six years later. I don't think the case wraps up particularly well, and it doesn't work for me as a fix-it (but then, I 1000% don't think the drama needs fixing, so ;-p). But I really enjoyed all the interactions, and getting to see the South Sea yao. (Guardian: The Way of Water - lol!!)

What's your favourite thing about it?

It's got some fantastic jokes, and I love the cosy domestic vibe between SW and ZYL, and especially that SW seems confident and happy, and ZYL is softer. They're so soft! <333

On a scale of one to ten, how terrible is Zhao Yunlan's dad?

OMG, so terrible! *sporks*

Do you think the question of the duplicate applications was satisfactorily answered?

Idk, I still don't understand how that worked. Could just anyone go into the bubbles? Was the barracuda supposed to be Zhu Jiu? ;-p

How do you feel about the bubble AUs?

See below. I do like that ZYL got to spend more time with SW in different situations. I hadn't thought before about how little he'd seen of him over ZYL's mortal incarnations.

My notes:

You can never think of anything new anyway.”
Shen-laoshi was firmly set in his ways. Every last one of his passwords was set as the unit number of their home. He had absolutely no concept of cybersecurity.

I wonder if this is just ZYL's pov of things. Maybe Shen Wei cherishes their home so much, he wants to only think of that. ;-p

At the day-to-day level, Comrade Shen Wei showed every sign that he really knew how to enjoy life. Having turned his attention from manipulating the Three Realms to eating, dressing, and living well, he was more than prepared for the task.

Oh, that's so good! YAY! :D :D :D

LOL at ZYL sending himself a gift from SW's new phone. Such a rapscallion!

With Shen Wei there, Daqing didn’t dare express his fury.

That feels like it contradicts Sage 2, so I wonder if he doesn't dare express fury specifically at ZYL, in front of SW. Maybe he's fine with yelling directly at SW when it's called for (as per Sage 2), but he knows how reflexively protective SW is of ZYL?

All he could do was get up, head aching, and drag himself over to the desk.

Ugh, knowing it's his dad seems to have brought on an instant headache. Yuck. I really love how snarky he is on the phone call, and a lot of his remarks made me laugh ("No, my morals haven’t been corroded—we haven’t had any acid rain in Dragon City..." LOL!!), but it's kind of a shame that being Kunlun hasn't freed him of his terrible dad. Boo! (Does his dad know his son is a god now?? It's unclear from this, I think.)

Interesting that the SID is AKA "the Soul-Guarding Order". I didn't see them as the same thing -- but now it feels like the SID is just a disguise so that the government will fund the SGO, lol.

I continue to not understand cultivation (why does working under a mortal get in the way of it), but never mind.

Now everyone wanted to get their foot in the door so his immortal aura might rub off on them. Zhao Yunlan, annoyed beyond bearing, rejected every single applicant with the excuse of “there’s a limit to how many names can fit on the Soul-Guarding Order.”

Ha! Oh no! ZYL is too popular! (I love that he's still into his gardening. I wonder if he gets his hands dirty, or just wanders among it talking to it encouragingly. ;-)

He was seriously starting to miss Shennong’s mortar—at least that stupid Mr. Bowl hadn’t fancied himself an orator.

LOL! But also /o\

Shen Wei is mysteriously engrossed in his phone. LOL! I love the payoff for that. :D :D :D :D :D Lucky they're both auspicious immortals now, because neither of them has the slightest ability to manage their money, lol!! (Imagine if they had to make DQ buy groceries because they were both broke!)

“It’s fineeeee.” Zhao Yunlan dragged the word out for one entire kilometer.

LOLOL!! (If I'd been drinking, I'd have done a literal spit-take over that one. :D)

Love that Sangzan has started learning Chengyu, even if he can't use them correctly yet. Go, Sangzan!! *\o/*

Awwwwwwww, ZYL lounging around in the kitchen, pilfering meat as fast as Shen Wei can cut it is THE CUTEST THIS! <3 <3 <3 <3

What kind of artifact could it be? A Pangu-brand photocopier?

LOL!!! :D

I'm really curious to know who does the porting in their relationship. ;D

They knelt shirtless on the beach, kow­towing with their bare backs to the sky. Each of them had a huge letter inked on their back. Collectively, the message read “Our crimes are severe. Please punish us, O Great Immortal.” It was such a sight that the hermit crabs were too fearful to even dare poke their heads out.

Hahaha, that's hilarious, and I love ZYL's exasperated reaction from where he's sitting on a cloud!! :D (Oh, hey, like Monkey and his cloud?)

I am just so delighted by the idea of the turtle and his 2IC, the sea cucumber. I am immediately shipping them, lol! :D

Is "the South Sea's forbidden area" a reference to the Yashou forbidden area in the drama, I wonder.

So wait, the barracuda was using the bubble AUs to duplicate the application forms, right? I wonder how he did that...

The ocean looked bottomless, but something seemed to be stirring in its depths—something restless and agitated, creating wave after wave in perfect time with Zhao Yunlan’s heartbeat.

That is so cool and atmospheric. <3 <3 <3

The sea turtle was in no state of mind for further pleasantries. He bowed to Shen Wei from a safe distance, then resumed his original form, picked up his partner, and shot off like a torpedo.

LOLOL!

“If this is something left behind by a sage from the era of Chaos, we might not get along,” Shen Wei said. “Let’s forget everything else. The traces I left all over that application awakened whatever is sealed here.

Oops! /o\

I love that god!ZYL has forgotten all the inconveniences and discomforts of mortality. It must be so startling to suddenly be vulnerable to pain and injury (and not be able to fly and pass through the ground)!

I wonder if the Soul-Guarding Order is still charred. Enquiring minds want to know!

Awwww, AU!DQ!!

So this wasn’t some kind of artifact. It was simply all the remains of the sages’ attempts to create the Reincarnation Cycle. The waste from their experiments had been sealed in the South Sea all this time until the seal had first been disturbed by the King of the Gui and then accidentally smashed open by a great yao, leaving it exposed to the Mortal Realm.
Zhao Yunlan looked up at the streetlight. I knew you wouldn’t leave me any inheritance, he thought. Just a bunch of messes for me to clean up.

Ha! Damn you, Shennong!! *shakes fist*

Some were of bizarre worlds with just a few familiar segments flashing through them.
Zhao Yunlan rather liked the latter sort because in the course of the five thousand years he’d spent in the Reincarnation Cycle, he had very few memories of Shen Wei. When Zhao Yunlan occasionally managed to catch him, it was inevitably only a brief glimpse before Shen Wei disappeared again.

Oh, that's such a good point! SW has stalked ZYL over centuries/millennia, but ZYL only really met SW that one time (as Shen San). Awwwwwwwww!

The huge wave crashed down to reveal Shen Wei underneath. He looked even more bedraggled than Zhao Yunlan, and he didn’t seem to have recovered from the endless time loops yet. For a while, he was completely motionless and silent.
“It’s okay,” Zhao Yunlan told him gently. “We’re back.”
A shudder tore through Shen Wei’s body, and he fell into Zhao Yunlan’s arms.

Oof, poor Shen Wei! I can't tell if he went through his own bubble-time experiences or if he was just waiting on the outside, but he seems wrecked. *pets him a lot* No wonder they decide they need a vacation.

Oh, hey, the large snake floating by -- presumably that's Fourth Uncle.

The old bug was still alive. Zhu Hong could keep right on fooling around at the Special Investigations Bureau with no need to return to her tribe to succeed her uncle as chief.

Ha! Why not both? ;-p

Wait, why is ZYL offering to buy GCC things from duty-free? Is he travelling internationally? I'd assumed the South Sea was still in China!

The stuff with the swimsuit seems so incredibly fanficcy to me. Ha!

Daqing completely lost it. Utterly outraged, he yowled, “How could Shen-laoshi, with his beautiful face, betray us?!”

LOLOL!!!

[trobadora]

Maybe he's fine with yelling directly at SW when it's called for (as per Sage 2), but he knows how reflexively protective SW is of ZYL?

That's definitely how I read it! He's not afraid of offending SW, he's afraid of SW's hairtrigger "protect ZYL" reaction. *g*

Does his dad know his son is a god now?? It's unclear from this, I think.

Yeah, I wasn't clear on that either, but it does seem like it's common knowledge now among anyone who knows about the supernatural ...?

but now it feels like the SID is just a disguise so that the government will fund the SGO, lol.

Wasn't it always? It was established specifically for ZYL, wasn't it?

I continue to not understand cultivation (why does working under a mortal get in the way of it), but never mind.

I didn't read as it actively getting in the way. The way I understood it, if anyone worked for the SID under mortal!ZYL they'd be doing ordinary work instead of focusing on their cultivation, so it'd set them back, but now that ZYL is a god, proximity to his divinity advances their cultivation more (or more easily) than actively working on it would, which is why it's now popular. *g*

Love that Sangzan has started learning Chengyu, even if he can't use them correctly yet. Go, Sangzan!! *\o/*

Yes! I thought that was great for him, and ZYL could stand to be less annoyed about it.

Is "the South Sea's forbidden area" a reference to the Yashou forbidden area in the drama, I wonder.

Oh! Yeah, it probably is!

So wait, the barracuda was using the bubble AUs to duplicate the application forms, right? I wonder how he did that...

Yeah, the barracuda did it, but how is never explained. *grumbles*

Oof, poor Shen Wei! I can't tell if he went through his own bubble-time experiences or if he was just waiting on the outside

It definitely sounded to me like he was in the bubbles as well - if nothing else, it says "he didn’t seem to have recovered from the endless time loops yet", so surely he must have been in the loops.

Wait, why is ZYL offering to buy GCC things from duty-free? Is he travelling internationally? I'd assumed the South Sea was still in China!

"South sea" is the South China Sea, which borders various countries, and it never says anything else, so they might have ended up anywhere. *g*

Utterly outraged, he yowled, “How could Shen-laoshi, with his beautiful face, betray us?!”

The fan translation has a translator's note for this:

[TN. “沒想到你個濃眉大眼的都叛變革命了” / “I did not imagine a person like you with such thick eyebrows and big eyes would end up becoming a rebel” is a quote… from a 90’s movie.]

[china_shop]

He's not afraid of offending SW, he's afraid of SW's hairtrigger "protect ZYL" reaction. *g*

An entirely reasonable caution! :D

Yeah, I wasn't clear on that either, but it does seem like it's common knowledge now among anyone who knows about the supernatural ...?

Maybe ZYL deliberately withheld/erased the information from him to preserve the parent-child relationship. (But whyyyy? When he's so awful? ;-p)

Wasn't it always? It was established specifically for ZYL, wasn't it?

I guess so. It feels different to me now ZYL is a god who just wants to garden all day, than when he was a mortal who took his supernatural crime-fighting seriously.

but now that ZYL is a god, proximity to his divinity advances their cultivation more (or more easily) than actively working on it would, which is why it's now popular. *g*

Ah. More Evil Worldbuilding. ;-p

Yes! I thought that was great for him, and ZYL could stand to be less annoyed about it.

LOL! In ZYL's defence, it seems to mean having to work pretty hard to translate what Sangzan is trying to say.

It definitely sounded to me like he was in the bubbles as well - if nothing else, it says "he didn’t seem to have recovered from the endless time loops yet", so surely he must have been in the loops.

Yes, though it's ZYL POV, and he doesn't know.

is a quote… from a 90’s movie.

LOLOL!! A very priest note to end on. g

[facethestrange]

"Guardian: The Way of Water - lol!!"

:D :D :D

"I love the cosy domestic vibe between SW and ZYL, and especially that SW seems confident and happy, and ZYL is softer. They're so soft! <333"

Ikr, they're doing so well! ♡♡♡

"Could just anyone go into the bubbles?"

I think once the area got awakened, everyone who showed up got eaten by the bubbles. When it was still dormant, idk, but I guess so? The way I see it, it was like dangerous waste lying around, accessible if someone was brave/stupid enough to access it.

> > Every last one of his passwords was set as the unit number of their home. He had absolutely no concept of cybersecurity.

I wonder if this is just ZYL's pov of things. Maybe Shen Wei cherishes their home so much, he wants to only think of that. ;-p

100% definitely, as far as I'm concerned. :D ♡ But tbh it doesn't have to be ZYL's POV, it's just objective truth, lol - being too sentimental to have good passwords = having no concept of cybersecurity. xD

"That feels like it contradicts Sage 2, so I wonder if he doesn't dare express fury specifically at ZYL, in front of SW. Maybe he's fine with yelling directly at SW when it's called for (as per Sage 2), but he knows how reflexively protective SW is of ZYL?"

That's definitely how I see it. :D :D

"but it's kind of a shame that being Kunlun hasn't freed him of his terrible dad. Boo! (Does his dad know his son is a god now?? It's unclear from this, I think.)"

Right?? :( (And I think he knows because it sounds like everyone who knows about the supernatural knows about Kunlun too. But it's possible that his father was intentionally left out.)

"Interesting that the SID is AKA "the Soul-Guarding Order". I didn't see them as the same thing -- but now it feels like the SID is just a disguise so that the government will fund the SGO, lol."

Yeah, they definitely used to be two different things (and they kinda still are - the new employees will not be part of the SGO), but I like that it seems to say that it was indeed just a cover so that SGO could be made 'official' - back when we talked about fair wages, I wondered if maybe ZYL started/revived the SID specifically to hire everyone for real. :D

"I love that he's still into his gardening. I wonder if he gets his hands dirty, or just wanders among it talking to it encouragingly. ;-)"

Hee! That depends if he got through the boring book after all. :D :D Maybe he got so pissed at it that he started gardening with his god powers alone - it works better this way anyway. xD

"Lucky they're both auspicious immortals now, because neither of them has the slightest ability to manage their money, lol!! (Imagine if they had to make DQ buy groceries because they were both broke!)"

Lolol! ♡ DQ is probably used to that after living with all of Kunlun's incarnations. xD (Btw I entirely forgot to say that "Shen Wei is possibly even worse at managing money than Zhao Yunlan is" is a fantastic excerpt title! :D :D)

"Love that Sangzan has started learning Chengyu, even if he can't use them correctly yet. Go, Sangzan!! *\o/*"

Yesss! ♡♡♡ He learned a whole-ass new language and he's not stopping there. :D

"I am just so delighted by the idea of the turtle and his 2IC, the sea cucumber. I am immediately shipping them, lol! :D"

Heeee, such a valid ship! :D :D

"Is "the South Sea's forbidden area" a reference to the Yashou forbidden area in the drama, I wonder."

Ooooh, fantastic catch, very likely!

"I wonder if the Soul-Guarding Order is still charred. Enquiring minds want to know!"

Probably, but I don't think it really has a purpose anymore (other than connecting the group of people who work for the Guardian) - all the four goals from the motto have been achieved.

"SW has stalked ZYL over centuries/millennia, but ZYL only really met SW that one time (as Shen San). Awwwwwwwww!"

This made me realize that he must be so fond of his Shen San memories, AW! ♡♡♡ Like, if he ranked his lifetimes, that one would probably win hands down. :D

> > The old bug was still alive. Zhu Hong could keep right on fooling around at the Special Investigations Bureau with no need to return to her tribe to succeed her uncle as chief.

Ha! Why not both? ;-p

That's a good question - literally the entire world just got reformed, so how the yao societies work could be reformed too. :D

"Wait, why is ZYL offering to buy GCC things from duty-free? Is he travelling internationally? I'd assumed the South Sea was still in China!"

I assumed this meant that they took a plane somewhere else (but idk why xD).

"The stuff with the swimsuit seems so incredibly fanficcy to me. Ha!"

This whole story does tbh. :D :D

[china_shop]

The way I see it, it was like dangerous waste lying around, accessible if someone was brave/stupid enough to access it.

Hence, forbidden. But in the barracuda's defence, it was all fine until it encountered Shen Wei's applications, and how was the barracuda to know?

being too sentimental to have good passwords = having no concept of cybersecurity. xD

Or just not prioritising it. You can have a concept of something without thinking it's important. *g*

(And I think he knows because it sounds like everyone who knows about the supernatural knows about Kunlun too. But it's possible that his father was intentionally left out.)

I guess, ultimately, ZYL's parents did raise him, and he clearly feels the weight of filial piety (cf the conversation with SW in chapter 13, and the thing with the mortar at the Lamp lighting), so I guess putting up with his dad's moralising is part of that. SIGH!

(and they kinda still are - the new employees will not be part of the SGO)

Oh, good point!

but I like that it seems to say that it was indeed just a cover so that SGO could be made 'official' - back when we talked about fair wages, I wondered if maybe ZYL started/revived the SID specifically to hire everyone for real. :D

Oh, that's right. It sounds like a "tax-payer's money being wasted" scandal waiting to happen, but presumably ZYL can keep it all on the DL as much as he has to. (Or maybe China doesn't have those kinds of scandals.) :D

(Btw I entirely forgot to say that "Shen Wei is possibly even worse at managing money than Zhao Yunlan is" is a fantastic excerpt title! :D :D)

*beams* Thank you! (I'm not sure it's entirely true, but hey. :D)

Probably, but I don't think it really has a purpose anymore (other than connecting the group of people who work for the Guardian) - all the four goals from the motto have been achieved.

True, true. It still feels like a sacred artefact to me. (Oh, I wonder if, when the Divine Tree revived and it and its branch grew everywhere, the SGO also healed itself, since it was made from the Divine Tree? I know there's no mention of that, but I like the idea.)

This made me realize that he must be so fond of his Shen San memories, AW! ♡♡♡ Like, if he ranked his lifetimes, that one would probably win hands down. :D

Oh, yes! Definitely #2 best ever lifetime after ZYL. :D

This whole story does tbh. :D :D

LOL! So true!! :D

[tinypinkmouse]

Is this where I admit that my dislike for the bubble worlds has overshadowed everything else that happens in the extra? It's not that I hate the concept, but after watching the drama and loving it a lot suddenly being told that oh yeah the drama world is fake actually and all the characters you love were fake feels really, really bad, you know? I don't know if I'd dislike it as strongly if I hadn't seen it talked about as a fix-it for the show. Maybe I just expected something different, but to me it felt like it was written for someone who didn't enjoy the drama.

[facethestrange]

Omg, yes, this! I personally love the fix-it for their deaths (especially Zhao Yunlan's because it's on-page, but I choose to assume that Shen Wei went through the same thing at the same time), but I really didn't need the entire drama to be fixed-it-ed away together with it, lol. I don't want anything other than the deaths erased, and there just are sooo many amazing parts and aspects of the drama that the novel doesn't even have at all.

[china_shop]

*nodnod* That's totally fair. *hugs*

I've mentally erased any link (like, I'll accept that novel!ZYL experienced ~something along the lines of the drama's arc~ in his bubble AU, but as far as I'm concerned, they're all such different characters that the novel and extras in no way connect with or affect the drama; the drama stands alone! # death of the author ;-p). But I've heard this extra talked about that way too, and it takes some wilfulness to ignore that.

Anyway, I'm firmly in Camp "The Drama Is Good and Glorious and Right Just As It Is And Does Not Need Fixing".

Maybe I just expected something different, but to me it felt like it was written for someone who didn't enjoy the drama.

There were a lot of novel fans who were unhappy with the drama, so I think it probably was.

[facethestrange]

"I'll accept that novel!ZYL experienced ~something along the lines of the drama's arc~ in his bubble AU"

Tbh it only says that it lasted 10,000 years, it doesn't even describe what he experienced, so it can easily be interpreted as not related to the drama at all, no matter what the author is trying to sneakily imply. :D

(And yep, I can't put the drama and novel characters together either, and it's not even because I like one set of them better, it's just because they're too different. :))

[trobadora]

but as far as I'm concerned, they're all such different characters that the novel and extras in no way connect with or affect the drama

That is definitely the best way to approach this!

Anyway, I'm firmly in Camp "The Drama Is Good and Glorious and Right Just As It Is And Does Not Need Fixing".

*high five*

[trobadora]

but after watching the drama and loving it a lot suddenly being told that oh yeah the drama world is fake actually and all the characters you love were fake feels really, really bad, you know?

Yes, this! Thank you for saying this! I remember back when I first heard about it (sold as a "fix-it" for the drama) and then read it, it felt like a slap in the face. I'm better able to compartmentalise now, especially since it's no longer difficult to find peopel who actually like the drama, but I still dislike that so much.

[china_shop]

Yeah, I avoided it for years and years because of what I'd heard about it.

[facethestrange]

*CLINGS TO THE READALONG* *EXCITED FOR THE REWATCH* :D This was SO MUCH FUN, thank you sooooo much for running the entire event!! ♡♡♡♡♡

"When Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan portal to the South Sea, who does the portalling: Shen Wei, Zhao Yunlan, or both separately?"

Hee, I think they both do it separately on the regular. :D

"We know Fourth Uncle is still alive, but what happened to him?"

I totally didn't think to ask this question! Maybe he was stuck in his own bubbles - it seems like it just happens to everyone who goes there. (Oooh, if he kept dying in his realities, it would probably explain the lamp going out!)

(I mostly answered the other questions below. :D And I may still be up to two weeks behind on various comment threads, lol, largely due to creating a huge amount of fanworks, some posted and some not yet posted, but I did finish ~liveblogging~ the novel on time, yay. :D :D :D)

"Every last one of his passwords was set as the unit number of their home."

*WIBBLES* This is legit one of my favorite lines from this entire chapter (it's right up there with "It's okay. We're back." ♡♡♡) - he has a HOME now, and he can't stop thinking about it ever, and everyone needs to know that he has a home now, asdfghfjdksldfgjjkl;; *SOBS* ♡♡♡

"Having turned his attention from manipulating the Three Realms to eating, dressing, and living well, he was more than prepared for the task."

Lolol, this is a harsh comment. ;D But really I'm so happy for him tho. ♡♡♡

"In tumultuous times, he’d hole up somewhere on a mountain. In times of peace, he’d rent some random place and live there for a while."

And all those places just happened to be somewhere close to the current Kunlun incarnation. xD

"With Shen Wei there, Daqing didn’t dare express his fury."

At least when he's pissed off at Shen Wei, he has no problem expressing it. :D :D

"Other than xiao-Guo, who was a mortal, and comrades like Wang Zheng and Sangzan, who had been taken in by the Guardian, everyone at the SID could be divided into two categories: those like Zhu Hong and Lin Jing, who had been sent by their elders or family to gain some practical experience, and those like Chu Shuzhi, who were there to serve out a sentence."

This completely flipped what I thought I knew, lol. Who is Lin Jing if he's not a mortal? Did he cultivate out of mortality already? And I thought GCC didn't count as a mortal anymore, but I guess he does, in the same way that Zhao Yunlan was a mortal before - he has a supernatural identity, but his body is going to die and reincarnate.

"The Great Seal had gone out with a bang"

At least here it's confirmed that the Seal is gone, yay. :D

"Overnight, the tiresome job of working at the SID became a highly coveted golden post."

Since this extra is a reaction to the drama, I'm assuming this entire storyline about everyone eagerly applying to work at the SID came from the drama ending where there are suddenly so many new people working there. :D

"Zhao Yunlan, who’d been living a peaceful life caring for his vegetable garden, received orders to leave his little attic and properly oversee their expansion."

That's so rude, lol, let him be a nature god in peace. ;D

"He was seriously starting to miss Shennong’s mortar—at least that stupid Mr. Bowl hadn’t fancied himself an orator."

Wasn't he the one who made the speech about right/wrong, life/death and all of that? ;D How much does ZYL's actual father talk then, lolol.

"In the Year of Our Lord 2018"

Is this a super Western expression, or can you say that in China too?

"No, my morals haven’t been corroded—we haven’t had any acid rain in Dragon City…"

Ilysm, Zhao Yunlan. ♡♡♡

"Thank you, Shen-laoshi. Boss, it’s the Dragon Boat Festival tomorrow. On behalf of all our colleagues, I’m here to ask if we’re getting anything for the holiday."

I love how Lin Jing already got a bonus from Shen Wei and he's still asking for another one from Zhao Yunlan. xD (Also maybe the summer setting is because of the drama too, where it's permanent summer no matter how much time passes. :D)

"He’d witnessed the rise and fall of all different tribes and clans and knew their ways. He himself was essentially a walking, talking archive of lost techniques…"

This is very cool! Especially right next to the information that he mostly stayed away from the mortal world - he knows so much about it regardless, because of his duties. ♡

"Shen Wei-tongxue" and "Zhao-laoshi", what a concept, LOL AW.

"Zhao Yunlan dragged the word out for one entire kilometer. Then, standing one kilometer away, he sent back a pained smile across the distance."

This description is so good and funny. xD :D :D

"There were no lights down there, but it wasn’t dark. The silvery glow of all the applications together was as bright as a row of incandescent bulbs."

The really cool supernatural imagery in this book never disappoints!! (And later they fly like butterflies, which is even cooler! ♡ And then even later the endless reflections in soap-like bubbles are absolutely gorgeous too. ♡♡♡)

“Okay, as long as you’re happy,” said Zhao Yunlan, giving up. “Hurry up and clock out, you two.”

Re: a conversation we had in another post, I do think Zhao Yunlan may be a bit softer in this extra than in the rest of the novel, though not as soft as Shen San. :D

"No wonder there’d been no mention of paying this consultant. With this kind of output, they would’ve had to auction off Kunlun-jun to cover the fee!"

Lol, pay him for his work tho! :P But I guess getting to use Zhao Yunlan's money as he pleases is good enough. :D

"Since Zhu Hong was from the Snake tribe, and their chief, Fourth Uncle, was both good at getting things done and fair in his dealings, the Snake tribe was said to be both privileged and capable."

I like this example of what it means in practice that being a SID employee is now a prestigious thing. :D

"Fourth Uncle arrived at 9 University Road less than five minutes after receiving his niece’s call, despite the scorching sun."

Can Zhu Hong teleport too? :P Or move really, really fast? (Idk how sun would affect teleportation, but also idk how else he could arrive in less than five minutes.)

"Rather than helping out, he was making more work for Shen Wei: every time Shen Wei cut a slice of ham, Zhao Yunlan ate it right off the cutting board."
---
"When Shen Wei fell silent, Zhao Yunlan followed his gaze, hastily finished chewing, and swallowed the evidence. Then, the very picture of innocence, he stretched out his back."

I love absolutely everything about Zhao Yunlan pilfering the ham, AWWWWW, and also HE'S A CAT. ♡♡♡

"A Pangu-brand photocopier?"

For some reason I've seen this line quoted in the fandom a lot?? xD (Also it's not actually explained later what exactly was used to make the fake applications, other than 'ancient god stuff', is it? So the guess was about right, but more like Shennong-brand photocopier, since it was all remnants of the failed scientific experiments. ;D)

"There was no time for dinner now. Shen Wei hurriedly packed his half-prepared ingredients into the fridge. They’d just have to get takeout when they got back."

Why is this so eerily similiar to this post, where one of the theories was that drama ZYL collapsed because they didn't get to eat before leaving?? :P And then it comes back, when he also collapses in a dark city: "The ham he’d filched before dinner was barely enough to fill the gaps between his teeth. As the pain in his chest and sprained ankle eased, this mortal body began reminding him exactly what it was like to have stomach problems."

"Young yao, drawn to the dazzling human world with its sunshine, beaches, and coconut trees, no longer did anything but wear floral shorts and fool around among the tourists. But when these tourists’ vacations were over, they went back home and got back to work or school; the naive little yao, on the other hand, just moved on to the next wave of tourists and kept playing."

I love the little yao and their life choices, no matter how damaging to their cultivation they may be. :D :D (And srsly, when you're immortal, you can spend a few centuries having fun on the beach and then still have all the time in the world to cultivate. :D)

“Oh, get up! What are you doing? If you have something to say, just say it. Don’t embarrass me like this!”

Zhao Yunlan clearly doesn't like anyone kneeling in front of him. :D

"From his seat up on a cloud, Zhao Yunlan cringed at the sight. He and Shen Wei couldn’t even get off the cloud—the beach was so packed that there was nowhere to set foot."

Lolol. :D :D I'm assuming the mortals on the beach can't see them. xD

"Zhao Yunlan listened as they sobbed their way through the story, but by the time they were only halfway through, his soul had already made eight trips around the thirty-six great mountains."

Now that he's a god he can do more than just dig in his ear when someone is rambling. xD

"The ocean looked bottomless, but something seemed to be stirring in its depths—something restless and agitated, creating wave after wave in perfect time with Zhao Yunlan’s heartbeat."

SO COOL. ♡ I wonder if he's connected to it because he's also an ancient god, or because of the reincarnation shenanigans he went through, or both. :D

"It echoed the Soul-Executing Blade in a way that said they shared one source.
“If this is something left behind by a sage from the era of Chaos, we might not get along,” Shen Wei said."

Aw. Is this leftover Chaos from trying really hard to fit the gui into the reincarnation cycle?

"With no warning, the dragon pearl disintegrated, and the dwindling flame gave a single flicker. Zhao Yunlan reflexively cupped his hand around it just as the vortex below them exploded."

Zhao Yunlan reflexively protecting the flame, aww!

"All the stars in the sky above suddenly seemed like dust blowing in the wind."

The Hallows void was clearly inspired by the novel already (SW and ZYL watching the birth of the gui, with 'stars' under their feet), and I feel like this is in turn inspired by the Hallows void. :D

"There was no mistaking it: the cat looked like a much younger Daqing, with his neck and waist clearly defined, as Daqing’s had been before he gained weight."

1) I love that he remembers what DQ looked like before he gained weight = presumably a very, very long time ago, and I'm taking it as canon confirmation that he remembers all of his lifetimes. :D 2) This is totally drama DQ, isn't it. :D

And whistling at him and then not bothering him anymore is ADORABLE. :D

"He landed heavily, freshly spraining his right ankle, which had finally stopped hurting."

I wonder if this is inspired by how he fell into YOHE, especially since it's also his first moment in a time loop. :D

"Back before Kunlun-jun had been awakened, Zhao Yunlan had once traveled eleven years back to Renwu year—except he hadn’t, not really."

I'm fascinated by the long explanation of how the time loop wasn't an actual time loop because actual time loops are impossible. Mostly because idk if it's all just worldbuilding for the bubbles, or if it's also supposed to be a commentary on the drama time loop in a meta way. xD

"When Fourth Uncle had given him Nüwa’s scale, Zhao Yunlan had already unknowingly walked into that pocket dimension."

Fourth Uncle didn't know that either, then? Because otherwise why would he give him the scale?

“Ah, Shen Wei.” Zhao Yunlan caught up to his incarnation, contemplating the watch’s origin. He chuckled, shaking his head. “You sneaky bastard.”

I understand what it's saying (that his previous incarnation got Clarity from SW, and hey, why not - SW was always around anyway, taking stalker pictures and everything :D), but I don't understand why present ZYL sees it as a reveal if all the events in the pocket dimensions aren't actually real? So this memory doesn't have to be real either?

"Zhao Yunlan rather liked the latter sort because in the course of the five thousand years he’d spent in the Reincarnation Cycle, he had very few memories of Shen Wei. When Zhao Yunlan occasionally managed to catch him, it was inevitably only a brief glimpse before Shen Wei disappeared again."

OHH, yay, and here is the actual confirmation that Zhao Yunlan remembers all his lifetimes - I was nearly sure that it had to be somewhere! :D

"But in the fake worlds, Shen Wei was always right there at his side, playing different roles in his life."

AWW. ♡♡♡

"But having the blade didn’t mean Shen Wei dared use it; if he destroyed a pocket dimension from the outside, whatever had been copied would be trapped in that cycle forever, just like that Record of Ancient Secrets."

I'm not sure what it means/entails? I guess the book is still trapped because Shen Wei destroyed the bubble from the outside, but it doesn't affect anyone (no one else is trapped), so why would it matter? Or is it because the items they're destroying right now are too important to lose and not get back? But they did get the real book back, didn't they? (Well, and now I don't remember - maybe the book doesn't exist in the present anymore. I'm not curious enough to check, and that's assuming it's even confirmed one way or the other. ;D)

"Everything he had on him, right down to his spine and his heart’s blood, had been shattered within different pocket dimensions."

I wanna see how those went, lol. (And hey, these are indeed some very important items you don't want to lose forever. :P)

"Oh right. There was still himself.

*WIBBLES* (I'm not a fan of how explicitly it's stated that all of the drama events simply didn't happen - I love so many things about it that are so different from the novel, and I don't want them gone. But this fix-it for his death? OH GODS, YES PLEASE. ♡♡♡)

(And btw, if the entire long extra was written just for these few paragraphs, then this level of spite is truly incredible and beautiful. :D :D :D)

"When Zhao Yunlan escaped from the last pocket dimension, all ten thousand mountains exulted."

AW, the mountains missed him!

“It’s okay,” Zhao Yunlan told him gently. “We’re back.”
A shudder tore through Shen Wei’s body, and he fell into Zhao Yunlan’s arms."

♡♡♡♡♡!!! I love this entire scene so muchhhh. There's an absolutely gorgeous fancomic of it btw. ♡♡♡

"Zhu Hong could keep right on fooling around at the Special Investigations Bureau with no need to return to her tribe to succeed her uncle as chief."

Ahh, so she WILL be a yao chief in the future! :D (And yay that she doesn't have to do it yet, assuming she doesn't want to. :D)

"There isn’t anything I want, but thank you, boss. R-really, it’s okay… N-no, not even from duty-free stores. Please don’t worry about it, as long as you’re happy…"

Hee, aww, Zhao Yunlan is learning from Shen Wei to give everyone generous gifts? :D

"Daqing’s fur erupted into a pom-pom."

:D :D :D And everyone being so pissed that Zhao Yunlan left is so funny to me because they used to be pissed that he never leaves and they can't skip work or go home early. xD I see how neither of these options is ideal but still, lol.

"You always wear black. Don’t you get tired?"

Let Shen Wei wear black swim trunks, lol. (Or no swim trunks at all if he doesn't want to, but honestly if the color is the problem, it's so easy to solve. :P)

[china_shop]

*CLINGS TO THE READALONG* *EXCITED FOR THE REWATCH* :D This was SO MUCH FUN, thank you sooooo much for running the entire event!! ♡♡♡♡♡

It's been SO much fun!!! And soooo great to get to know you -- I'm really really glad you threw yourself into the Six Billion Comments Club with us, yayayayay!! :D :D :D

Hee, I think they both do it separately on the regular. :D

When they arrive at the South Sea, it says: From his seat up on a cloud, Zhao Yunlan cringed at the sight. He and Shen Wei couldn’t even get off the cloud so it sounds like they cloud-pooled. I'm envisaging Monkey's pink cloud from the 1980s TV show, lol. :D

Oooh, if he kept dying in his realities, it would probably explain the lamp going out!

I didn't think it did go out? (And if Fourth Uncle's trapped in all the bubbles, shouldn't they have rescued him?)

And I may still be up to two weeks behind on various comment threads, lol

You and me both! *high fives* (And yayay, SO MANY FANWORKS!! *twirls you* :D :D :D)

he has a HOME now, and he can't stop thinking about it ever

Right?!! Why make up some random number when he can reference his HOME?!

At least when he's pissed off at Shen Wei, he has no problem expressing it. :D :D

Ha, yes!! :D

Who is Lin Jing if he's not a mortal? Did he cultivate out of mortality already?

I completely missed that! I wonder if it's just badly worded, and he is mortal but he's in the category of "people placed there by relatives"? (And yeah, I've been assuming GCC was mortal all along. I think the beauty of his feeding the lamp with his merits is that it can be done by a "mere" mortal, all unknowing. <3)

I'm assuming this entire storyline about everyone eagerly applying to work at the SID came from the drama ending where there are suddenly so many new people working there. :D

Ha, probably. But in the drama those people had positions already; they weren't just applying. (And we never find out exactly what they're there to do...)

That's so rude, lol, let him be a nature god in peace. ;D

I know!! He just wants to be paid by the government to tend his garden and yell at his staff. ;-p

How much does ZYL's actual father talk then, lolol.

It probably just ~seems~ longer because he never says anything constructive or worth listening to at all. ;-p

Is this a super Western expression, or can you say that in China too?

Another thing I missed. I have no idea!

Ilysm, Zhao Yunlan. ♡♡♡

*high fives you* :D :D :D

I love how Lin Jing already got a bonus from Shen Wei and he's still asking for another one from Zhao Yunlan. xD

LOLOL, true!

The really cool supernatural imagery in this book never disappoints!! (And later they fly like butterflies, which is even cooler! ♡ And then even later the endless reflections in soap-like bubbles are absolutely gorgeous too. ♡♡♡)

More Miyazaki imagery, yay! :D :D :D

Re: a conversation we had in another post, I do think Zhao Yunlan may be a bit softer in this extra than in the rest of the novel, though not as soft as Shen San. :D

Oh, yeah. I didn't notice, but you're right -- it's definitely a big contrast to Sage 1.

I love absolutely everything about Zhao Yunlan pilfering the ham, AWWWWW, and also HE'S A CAT. ♡♡♡

Yessssssssss, so adorable!! :D :D :D

For some reason I've seen this line quoted in the fandom a lot?? xD

Ha, really? In what kind of contexts? (Oh, we should have put it in the list of possible gifts in the Wishlist promo posts. ;-)

Also it's not actually explained later what exactly was used to make the fake applications, other than 'ancient god stuff', is it?

I thought they were all AU versions of the same application, from hundreds of bubble AUs...

Why is this so eerily similiar to this post, where one of the theories was that drama ZYL collapsed because they didn't get to eat before leaving?? :P And then it comes back, when he also collapses in a dark city:

Oh, ha! Spooky! How did we know?? ;D

Zhao Yunlan clearly doesn't like anyone kneeling in front of him. :D

He didn't like it in the PP, either, with Chiyou kowtowing up the mountain. *pets him*

Now that he's a god he can do more than just dig in his ear when someone is rambling. xD

LOL! :DDD

Is this leftover Chaos from trying really hard to fit the gui into the reincarnation cycle?

Ooh, that's a very cool thought!

and I feel like this is in turn inspired by the Hallows void. :D

Oh, yes, you're probably right!

I wonder if this is inspired by how he fell into YOHE, especially since it's also his first moment in a time loop. :D

It is very reminiscent!

I'm fascinated by the long explanation of how the time loop wasn't an actual time loop because actual time loops are impossible.

Oh, is that what it was saying? I admit, I kind of zoned out for that part. (*builds a defensive wall around the drama timeloop and stands guard* ;-p)

but I don't understand why present ZYL sees it as a reveal if all the events in the pocket dimensions aren't actually real?

I thought to start with they were based on his memories? And then they got further and further off from what he's already experienced? So maybe he was re-interpreting things he vaguely remembered but hadn't put the pieces together in before?

That fan comic really is gorgeous art -- thanks so much for linking! (I found it hard to fully appreciate, because of course it's leaning into the "the drama isn't real; we're home now" aspect, but it is lovely to look at.)

:D :D :D And everyone being so pissed that Zhao Yunlan left is so funny to me because they used to be pissed that he never leaves and they can't skip work or go home early. xD

Hee! True! :D

Let Shen Wei wear black swim trunks, lol. (Or no swim trunks at all if he doesn't want to, but honestly if the color is the problem, it's so easy to solve. :P)

Right??? (I think priest just wanted to end with ZYL being a mischievous handful, though.) (And of course SW starts the extra getting phone lessons and ends the extra dropping his phone into the sea, lol.)

[facethestrange]

"It's been SO much fun!!! And soooo great to get to know you -- I'm really really glad you threw yourself into the Six Billion Comments Club with us, yayayayay!! :D :D :D"

AWWWWW!! ♡♡♡ I'm so happy I did that, one of my best life choices. :D :D Thank you for having me! :D ♡♡♡

"When they arrive at the South Sea, it says: From his seat up on a cloud, Zhao Yunlan cringed at the sight. He and Shen Wei couldn’t even get off the cloud so it sounds like they cloud-pooled. I'm envisaging Monkey's pink cloud from the 1980s TV show, lol. :D"

:D :D :D It does say earlier that they teleported, but this is delightful, and I've never heard of this show but I adore this aesthetic already, hee! :D

"I didn't think it did go out? (And if Fourth Uncle's trapped in all the bubbles, shouldn't they have rescued him?)"

Originally it did, but then it came back (“You know how he went to the South Sea? My tribe just contacted me and said the lamp representing the chief’s life has gone out! My uncle, he—” / “When a great yao dies, there’s always some kind of portent to announce it. It wouldn’t happen so quietly. Maybe there’s been an accident that’s blocking his connection to his lamp.”). And ohhh, I thought that ZYL and SW have defeated the bubbles for good, but I don't think that's actually stated - I just assumed because the mountains and waves were so happy to see them, but it could be just because they're nature gods and aren't in danger anymore. :) If the bubbles are still there, then I guess Fourth Uncle rescued himself too.

"You and me both! *high fives* (And yayay, SO MANY FANWORKS!! *twirls you* :D :D :D)"

*HIGH FIVE* (AWW, thank you!! :D ♡♡♡ fic_promptly challenge week is over now, so no more 'one ficlet posted every single day', lol, but there's soooooo much other stuff coming up. :D :D)

"Right?!! Why make up some random number when he can reference his HOME?!"

Yesssss! ♡♡♡ *MELTS*

"I completely missed that! I wonder if it's just badly worded, and he is mortal but he's in the category of "people placed there by relatives"? (And yeah, I've been assuming GCC was mortal all along. I think the beauty of his feeding the lamp with his merits is that it can be done by a "mere" mortal, all unknowing. <3)"

Yeah, that could be an explanation! But idk, novel Lin Jing is lowkey mysterious to me in general, he doesn't even seem to have an age. :P And that's a very good point about GCC, yep! ♡ (And now I remembered that CSZ couldn't find anything unusual about him when he took his soul out of his body.)

"I know!! He just wants to be paid by the government to tend his garden and yell at his staff. ;-p"

Lololol. :D It has worked for years (minus the garden). ;D

"It probably just ~seems~ longer because he never says anything constructive or worth listening to at all. ;-p"

Lol damn, so very true!

"More Miyazaki imagery, yay! :D :D :D"

Yessss, I love that we realized how similar they are early on because it's so consistent, and I have imagined so many scenes in this animation style. ♡♡♡

"Oh, yeah. I didn't notice, but you're right -- it's definitely a big contrast to Sage 1."

Then again, he's probably softer because he's had years of domestic bliss. But I like to think that it's drama influence too. :D

"Ha, really? In what kind of contexts? (Oh, we should have put it in the list of possible gifts in the Wishlist promo posts. ;-)"

The funniest thing is that I have no idea, lolol, but I feel like I've seen people say 'Pangu-brand photocopier' before I even read the book and I had no idea what it could refer to. xD (Lolol, very good gift. :D EEEEEE, WISHLIST BTW. *screms* ♡♡♡)

"I thought they were all AU versions of the same application, from hundreds of bubble AUs..."

Oooooh, I that's a neat explanation I didn't think of! So did the yao go to the forbidden area to make them intentionally, or kinda just lucked out because the application got too close to the bubbles? (It says that the area changed size significantly? Going there intentionally to do such an inconsequential thing sounds both really brave and really stupid, lol.)

"He didn't like it in the PP, either, with Chiyou kowtowing up the mountain. *pets him*"

Oh yep, very true, I didn't think of that! :D

"Oh, is that what it was saying? I admit, I kind of zoned out for that part. (*builds a defensive wall around the drama timeloop and stands guard* ;-p)"

Yeah, it's basically just 'timeloops are always illusions becuase actual time can't go backwards'. (Saaaaaame. The novel time loop can be yeeted away, it really wasn't that interesting to begin with. ;D But the drama timeloop is THE BEST THING. ♡♡♡)

"I thought to start with they were based on his memories? And then they got further and further off from what he's already experienced? So maybe he was re-interpreting things he vaguely remembered but hadn't put the pieces together in before?"

They were based on his memories, but they were still off/not fully correct as far as I understand, but yes, I get it now - it helped him put the pieces together of what he already partially knew. Thanks!! :)

"I think priest just wanted to end with ZYL being a mischievous handful, though."

Yeah, which is fair enough - that's what makes them both happy after all. :D :D

"And of course SW starts the extra getting phone lessons and ends the extra dropping his phone into the sea, lol."

:D :D :D That's delightful, I didn't even catch it! :D Poor SID, no more random bonuses from Shen Wei, lolol.

[trobadora]

I didn't think it did go out?

It's very confusing. Zhu Hong specifically calls them because it did go out. Then it's suddenly "flashing like it was about to die" - presumably it came oon again somewhere in between?

And you're totally right, they seem to forget about Fourth Uncle until he appears again at the end, they're not even trying to save him ...

And of course SW starts the extra getting phone lessons and ends the extra dropping his phone into the sea, lol.

LOL! I didn't even catch that, that's hilarious. :D

[trobadora]

*CLINGS TO THE READALONG* *EXCITED FOR THE REWATCH* :D This was SO MUCH FUN, thank you sooooo much for running the entire event!! ♡♡♡♡♡

Awww! So glad you had fun with us, and long may it continue! ♥

And all those places just happened to be somewhere close to the current Kunlun incarnation. xD

LOL! :D

This completely flipped what I thought I knew, lol. Who is Lin Jing if he's not a mortal? Did he cultivate out of mortality already?

It calls Xiao-Guo 凡人, which can mean "mortal" but also "ordinary person", so I figure it's not meant to imply anything about Lin Jing's mortality or lack thereof. *g*

At least here it's confirmed that the Seal is gone, yay. :D

Yes, good point!

I'm assuming this entire storyline about everyone eagerly applying to work at the SID came from the drama ending where there are suddenly so many new people working there. :D

LOL, I could see that!

Is this a super Western expression, or can you say that in China too?

I stumbled over that too! It's not in the Chinese - I think the translators tried to capture the vibe of the Chinese but went too Western there.

Also maybe the summer setting is because of the drama too, where it's permanent summer no matter how much time passes. :D

Does the drama feel summer-y to you? To me it looks like it's permanently spring or autumn, and never summer or winter. *g* (I guess Dragon City is having a very mild year!)

Re: a conversation we had in another post, I do think Zhao Yunlan may be a bit softer in this extra than in the rest of the novel, though not as soft as Shen San. :D

Yeah, that sounds about right to me.

For some reason I've seen this line quoted in the fandom a lot?? xD

Huh, really? I don't remember ever encountering it! Fascinating.

Why is this so eerily similiar to this post, where one of the theories was that drama ZYL collapsed because they didn't get to eat before leaving?? :P And then it comes back, when he also collapses in a dark city

LOL, you're totally right, I hadn't even made that connection, but it really fits! Hee!

The Hallows void was clearly inspired by the novel already (SW and ZYL watching the birth of the gui, with 'stars' under their feet), and I feel like this is in turn inspired by the Hallows void. :D

Oh, yes, great catch!

but I don't understand why present ZYL sees it as a reveal if all the events in the pocket dimensions aren't actually real? So this memory doesn't have to be real either?

It doesn't have to be, but it seems to be the case here. Two paragraphs later it says, Not every dimension came straight from his memories. So I assume this one really is exactly as he remembered it, and seeing it again let him put two and two together regarding what SW did.

OHH, yay, and here is the actual confirmation that Zhao Yunlan remembers all his lifetimes - I was nearly sure that it had to be somewhere! :D

Yes! That's pretty definite.

But they did get the real book back, didn't they?

No, the way I remember it, the book ceased to exist when the time loop ended - ZYL throws the version he has into the Wangchuan, so only the version he buys in the past and leaves behind for his past self remains.

[china_shop]

It calls Xiao-Guo 凡人, which can mean "mortal" but also "ordinary person", so I figure it's not meant to imply anything about Lin Jing's mortality or lack thereof. *g*

Oh, cool! Thanks for that.

It's not in the Chinese - I think the translators tried to capture the vibe of the Chinese but went too Western there.

Good point! I'm having a hard time thinking of another way to express the same vibe.

Two paragraphs later it says, Not every dimension came straight from his memories. So I assume this one really is exactly as he remembered it, and seeing it again let him put two and two together regarding what SW did.

Oh, that helps. Thanks! <3

[autodach]

I really enjoy this extra. Shen Wei at the beach alone is worth it.
I know many drama fans take offence at “fixing” the drama, but I see it more as connecting the two different canons for shits and giggles. It’s just a bit of fun, like a fanfic that happens to be written by the original author. As such, I can’t bring myself to consider it part of the main story, though. It’s the only “true” extra imo.

I’ve had an absolute blast with the readalong! Thank you so much for organizing and running the event❤❤❤

[facethestrange]

"It’s just a bit of fun, like a fanfic that happens to be written by the original author."

That's such a fun way to look at it, and I think it's how I see it too, more or less. :D (I'm a big fan of erasing the ending, I just didn't want the rest of the drama erased together with it, lol, so it's probably easier for me to like it than for people who liked the drama ending. But yeah, I've always seen this extra as spitefic. :D)

[trobadora]

As such, I can’t bring myself to consider it part of the main story, though.

That's definitely the best way to look at it!

So glad you enjoyed the readalong, it was great to have you along for the ride! :D

[china_shop]

Shen Wei at the beach alone is worth it.

Hee! That reads so much like fanfic to me. Definitely fanfic by the author, the whole thing. *g*

So very glad you enjoyed the readalong, yay! It was such a pleasure having you here, getting your perspective on things, and getting to know you! <3 <3 <3

[trobadora]

Did you enjoy this extra?

Not really. That's probably not a surprise, given how it's usually talked about - and I first encountered it back in the days when it was really hard to find anyone who actually liked the drama and didn't diss it, so that probably made my reaction worse. But I'm going to try my best to compartmentalise and not talk just about that in my comment. Wish me luck! *g*

Do you think the question of the duplicate applications was satisfactorily answered?

No. There's no explanation at all how you could use these bubble universes to create copies you could then take out of the bubbles - it doesn't make much sense to me at all, given what we see.

How do you feel about the bubble AUs?

I generally like AUs! I would have enjoyed seeing a bunch of different bubble 'verses! But we don't see enough of these to actually enjoy them, and instead they just seem to be used as a clumsy device to invalidate the drama.

Every last one of his passwords was set as the unit number of their home. He had absolutely no concept of cybersecurity.

I dislike this implication that SW isn't capable of grasping the concept of a secure password when he's told, so I'm choosing to believe he's trolling ZYL. *nods firmly*

In tumultuous times, he'd hole up somewhere on a mountain. In times of peace, he'd rent some random place and live there for a while.

Oh! So he has lived among people in the past! I wish we'd learned more about that. (And presumably if he "rented" he had to manage payment in some way, so I refuse to buy this whole "SW doesn't understand money" thing.)

Despite all his years wandering around the Mortal Realm, he had no savings or assets, never mind real estate or housing. To this day, other than his salary card, he didn't have a single penny to his name.

ZYL's POV suggests that it's because he's not worldly, but can't it just because he doesn't see the point? (He's the Emissary; he never expected to get a life with Kunlun - what does he care about mortal money? Nothing that actually matters to him can be bought with money. And even now - they're gods; the only reason they need any money at all is because they're sort of playing at living like mortals, but only in some ways, not in all.)

His phone had started ringing before he'd even finished speaking. Zhao Yunlan glanced at it, but he didn't want to answer, so he put the phone face down.

How does he know it's not actually something important/urgent? Especially when people keep calling? This is so irresponsible.

Overnight, the tiresome job of working at the SID became a highly coveted golden post. Now everyone wanted to get their foot in the door so his immortal aura might rub off on them.

LOL!

In the Year of Our Lord 2018

Does it really say that in the Chinese?! That sounds so weird, LOL.

I only have the Chinese version on Bilibili, which actually says it's the year 8012. (Does anyone know what calendar that is? Google was not helpful.) The fan translation has It's already 2018.

Zhao Yunlan responded in the flat monotone of someone reciting scriptures.

Ugh, his dad sucks so much, and ZYL is so done with it all.

Zhao Yunlan was close enough to Zhu Hong that he could turn her down without worrying about fake pleasantries, but the yao were family to Kunlun. He couldn't blatantly disrespect the yao elders.

Oh, that's interesting about the dynamics!

(I don't believe ZYL. He can blatantly disrespect ANYONE, it's his special talent! *g*)

He himself was essentially a walking, talking archive of lost techniques

And I like that he's putting some of that to use now! The seal/watermark business is very cool, and I love that it makes the whole thing more accessible to people from different backgrounds.

His Shen-laoshi viewed cash the same way he viewed in-game currency-and not even the kind you had to buy, but the kind the game gave you for free to start.

I feel like there are two ways of taking this, and I don't like either.

Either we're meant to think ZYL is right and SW really doesn't understand what he's doing, in which case I don't like SW being portrayed as that oblivious about giving away all his money. Or we're meant to think ZYL is wrong, in which case I don't like ZYL's patronising attitude towards SW.

Anyway, I think SW has to be trolling here. I'm choosing to believe SW is just pretending not to understand, and is in fact making sure everyone gets a holiday bonus.

(All of this money-related "comedy" is deeply unfunny to me since it's all at SW's expense.)

Chu Shuzhi's eyes bulged. "Hang on...! Each one of over 700 applications is different? And you kept a record of them all?"
"Yes." Shen Wei adjusted his glasses. "And...?"

And this is the guy ZYL thinks can't grasp the concept of using different passwords?!

(I really don't like what this says about ZYL's attitude towards SW.)

Fourth Uncle arrived at 9 University Road less than five minutes after receiving his niece's call, despite the scorching sun.

1) Can he teleport?!

2) What does the sun have to do with it? He's not a ghost, since when do yao have a problem with the sun?!

A Pangu-brand photocopier?

LOL!

From his seat up on a cloud, Zhao Yunlan cringed at the sight. He and Shen Wei couldn't even get off the cloud-the beach was so packed that there was nowhere to set foot.

That is a hilarious image!

This was a mixed-species tribe, created when the chiefs of each of the tribes had banded together to form an alliance. The one in charge was a three-thousand-year-old sea turtle, and the second-in-command was a two-thousand-year-old sea cucumber.

Oh, neat! I love all the different water tribe yao, that's so fun. There are even barracudas, hee! :D

The traces I left all over that application awakened whatever is sealed here.

Oops?

Shen Wei looked around. Fourth Uncle's lamp of life was reflected everywhere, revealing what might've been infinite layers of clear film, like soap bubbles clustered together. Vague mirages flickered across the surfaces of the bubbles, reflecting both Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan an endless number of times.

This is a really cool image!

Kunlun-jun's body couldn't be so much as scratched; heat and cold alike posed no threat. It had been six years since Zhao Yunlan's divine spirit was awakened, and he'd nearly forgotten even the sensation of a mosquito's bite. How had he managed to sprain his ankle here in the South Sea?

Hee! That's a great way of raising the stakes for him. (Alas, it doesn't actually go anywhere.)

the cat looked like a much younger Daqing, with his neck and waist clearly defined, as Daqing's had been before he gained weight.

Awww!

It was common knowledge that time couldn't flow backward, and a person couldn't jump randomly within his own timeline. Within the same dimension, the laws of cause and effect were immutable.
Back before Kunlun-jun had been awakened, Zhao Yunlan had once traveled eleven years back to Renwu year-except he hadn't, not really. Shennong had just put an eleven-year mini-cycle into Nüwa's scale, creating a pocket dimension. It had been an illusion that was very similar to, but different from, reality. He had simply been inside that pocket dimension for a while.

1) It wasn't common knowledge in the novel when ZYL treated it very much as a real time loop!

2) NO! I was so pleased with the novel's little time-loop, you don't get to retcon it out of existence! Also, all these explanations for why it's not a time loop are way more convoluted than the actual time loop was - entirely needlessly so. I mean, seriously, why? Just to take a swipe at the drama? That's so petty.

So this wasn't some kind of artifact. It was simply all the remains of the sages' attempts to create the Reincarnation Cycle.

So basically, Shennong dumped his toxic waste there? Fun.

(Also, "sages"? Plural?! The fan translation has "the ancient gods", also plural. Checking the Bilibili Chinese version, yeah, it's plural - 先圣们. Huh.)

"Ah, Shen Wei." Zhao Yunlan caught up to his incarnation, contemplating the watch's origin. He chuckled, shaking his head. "You sneaky bastard."

Aw! Is he talking about the bubble's alternate SW, or is this something that happened the same way in reality? Since it later says not all the bubbles are based on his memories, I guess it did happen! And I like SW sneakily providing Kunlun's reincarnation with specialised tools. :D

But in the fake worlds, Shen Wei was always right there at his side, playing different roles in his life. In those worlds, they spent a whole lifetime together until they both found their own connection items and broke out of the cycle...

Wait, does that mean the real SW meets up inside the bubbles with him? I don't get it, I thought each bubble had one connection item, but this sounds like it has separate ones for each of them, and they're each separately breaking out (only to meet again in the next?).

I do like the idea of them getting to spend that much time together, though I wish we got to actually see them interacting - hard to feel like it's meaningful when it all gets glossed over like this.

(If it's not the real SW but only alternate bubble versions, then I don't like it as much - because then ZYL spends vastly more time with replacement goldfish than the real SW, and apparently doesn't mind. But it really does read to me like it's the real SW!)

Zhao Yunlan had a feeling that this dimension was the last, but he could've hardly expected that this one would last ten thousand years.

"Ten thousand years" and the self-immolation are the only things tying this to the drama. Not much to go on! LA LA LA I CAN'T HEAR YOU ...

Oh right. There was still himself.

If I take this bubble as a reflection of the drama (which it's clearly meant to be, but which I really don't want to), this would be implying that drama!ZYL burns himself not to save Dixing, not to save the world, not to complete SW's work, but just to escape a bubble universe. NO! You don't get to take this away from him and diminish his sacrifice and his achievements!

So here's my opinion: The drama doesn't need a fix-it. The ending is so hopeful and leaves open so many ways of bringing them back - if you want ZYL and SW to be alive, all it needs is an epilogue. Even if you did want to "fix" the drama's ending, this isn't a fix-it, it's a break-it - for two separate reasons. First, trying to fold the drama characters into the novel versions doesn't work since they're such vastly different people, and can only be accomplished by treating the drama versions as if they don't count. (Which, if that's your view, doesn't that already obviate the need for a fix-it?) And second, more importantly, the way ZYL escapes this bubble undermines and devalues everything about the drama's sacrifice ending, in a really mean-spirited way that makes me think less of priest.

Version comparison: just two translation differences I wanted to point out, no version differences that I saw:

• I wanted to make note of a fun translator's note in my version of the fan translation:

  It stands to reason that when the snake tribe's leader make a personal visit, this gang of under-trained garbage must greet him with a banner. Which sea urchin gave them the courage to rebel?
  
  [TN. 海膽 / Sea urchin is written literally "sea gallbladder." In English, you say someone with courage as having "guts," in Chinese, you say they have "gallbladder."]
  
  Could it be their daily chore of sitting on the shore drinking fresh water has done something to their osmotic pressure, and their gall's gone swollen?

  The official translation renders this as:

  Theoretically, if the Snake tribe chief was paying a personal visit, these good-for-nothing yao were supposed to welcome him with a banner and fanfare. Who'd lent them the courage to act out?
  
  Were they so high on fresh water that their egos were now badly overinflated?

• Official translation:

  The sea turtle in charge sighed. "Exactly. His original form is a barracuda. He sold the fake applications for money so he could sell betel nuts wholesale. He's already escaped to avoid punishment!"
  
  "Never mind what he was trying to sell. Let's set that aside," Shen Wei said.

  Fan translation:

  The sea turtle director says, sighing, "Yes, that person's original form was a barracuda, and they sold the fake registration forms making massive profits. He used the proceeds to buy areca nuts in bulk and has already gone on the run."
  
  "...It doesn't matter what he bought in bulk, let's leave that aside for now."

  I'm not sure which of these is right, but I think buying makes more sense? (批发 is just "wholesale / bulk trade", that's all it says in Chinese.)

[china_shop]

But I'm going to try my best to compartmentalise and not talk just about that in my comment. Wish me luck! *g]*

*hugs*

I would have enjoyed seeing a bunch of different bubble 'verses! But we don't see enough of these to actually enjoy them

That's true! It would have been really fun to see more of them -- I guess then it would have turned into a whole 'nother novel, though. *g*

I dislike this implication that SW isn't capable of grasping the concept of a secure password when he's told, so I'm choosing to believe he's trolling ZYL.

I feel like SW is prioritising sentimentality over security, and ZYL is implicitly teasing him about that (with love). But that does require some projection, perhaps.

I refuse to buy this whole "SW doesn't understand money" thing.

FWIW, I think it's very much the pot deliberately calling the kettle black in a lovingly teasing way. We know ZYL is canonically terrible with money, and here the novel is going, look, SW is profligate too (because money doesn't matter and has never mattered to him at all, why would it?). Like, I really don't think it's supposed to be a genuine critique or mean-spirited? And yes, he's absolutely trolling with the red envelopes, probably partly in retaliation for ZYL making him get a smartphone. *g* /my reading

How does he know it's not actually something important/urgent? Especially when people keep calling? This is so irresponsible.

We don't know who the first caller was, do we? He did look at the number -- and then assumed the next two calls were the same person. I think he's been endlessly inundated with people trying to get their friends and relatives into the SID, and he's just done with it all.

(I don't believe ZYL. He can blatantly disrespect ANYONE, it's his special talent! *g*)

LOL! I think it's more "He couldn't blatantly disrespect the yao elders (without causing offence/a fuss that would be more trouble than it's worth)"?

The seal/watermark business is very cool, and I love that it makes the whole thing more accessible to people from different backgrounds.

Yes! It's so cool! :DDD

I feel like there are two ways of taking this, and I don't like either.

Huh, I didn't read it as SW literally thinking of it as not really money (or as ZYL thinking SW thought it wasn't money) -- I thought it was just a priest way of describing frittering money away in an "easy come, easy go" sense. And yes, he's totally trolling -- and also putting ZYL in the position of having to make up the difference. (“If you run out of money, I’ll transfer you some more. Go on, finish sending the red envelopes. Ah…ha ha ha. You sure are a quick learner.”)

Oh, ZYL's pained smile about this made me realise: ZYL is profligate with money buying himself things (which fits with the general SID attitude, cf their "what's in it for you?" questions of GCC); meanwhile SW is profligate about giving money to others. So part of ZYL's edged teasing is that SW isn't being selfish enough, lol. And part of SW's motive is probably that his being broadly generous reflects well on both of them, since they're a unit now.

And this is the guy ZYL thinks can't grasp the concept of using different passwords?!

I really think he was just teasing! Like, "it's very sweet, but that's not how mortals do it, and you were the one who wanted to live like a mortal" kind of teasing. /obv you don't have to agree

2) What does the sun have to do with it? He's not a ghost, since when do yao have a problem with the sun?!

Idk about the teleporting, but I thought the sun reference was, like, no one wants to go out in the scorching sun, and if they have to, they just about melt (and probably move kind of slowly or dash from shade to shade and stop every 50 metres for an iceblock), so the fact that he came directly despite the discomfort was noteable?

Oh, neat! I love all the different water tribe yao, that's so fun. There are even barracudas, hee! :D

Yes, I loved that! A sea cucumber who's managed to cultivate to deputy tribe leader in only 2000 years!!

That's a great way of raising the stakes for him. (Alas, it doesn't actually go anywhere.)

Yeah, that's a shame.

2) NO! I was so pleased with the novel's little time-loop, you don't get to retcon it out of existence!

I know! Proof #1 that this is not canon and not to be taken seriously. ;-p

So basically, Shennong dumped his toxic waste there? Fun.

LOL! Great way to put it!

Also, "sages"? Plural?! The fan translation has "the ancient gods", also plural. Checking the Bilibili Chinese version, yeah, it's plural - 先圣们. Huh.

Huh. Who else was working with Shennong on the Reincarnation Cycle? His mortar? Kunlun for a bit? *adds new item to the mishmash pile of sundry confusingness*

And I like SW sneakily providing Kunlun's reincarnation with specialised tools. :D

Yes, that's very cool! :D (I wonder where SW got it -- or whether he made it himself.)

If it's not the real SW but only alternate bubble versions, then I don't like it as much - because then ZYL spends vastly more time with replacement goldfish than the real SW, and apparently doesn't mind. But it really does read to me like it's the real SW!

Hm, it read to me as if each SW was bubble-specific ("replacement goldfish" is such a great way to put it!). But who knows???

LA LA LA I CAN'T HEAR YOU ...

LA LA LA LA LAs along with you! <33333

Oooooh, I really love everything about your argument about why it's not a fixit. Great points, all! *co-signs* *subscribes to your newsletter* <3

The sea urchin TN is so cool! I kind of see why the translators simplified it, but it loses so much humour in the translation!!

I'm not sure which of these is right, but I think buying makes more sense?

I guess if he's selling them, it skips the step of having to buy them first (in a "you have to spend money to make money" sense). I read it as "he wanted the money as start-up for his betel nuts business." But I didn't really give it much thought.

A final thank you and giant heap of gratitude and flowers for all your work comparing the versions and posting the differences. It's added so much to the discussion -- you are a complete star!! <3 <3 <3

[facethestrange]

"There's no explanation at all how you could use these bubble universes to create copies you could then take out of the bubbles - it doesn't make much sense to me at all, given what we see."

Yeah, ITA - at first I didn't even realize that the bubbles made the copies, I thought taking the application to the forbidden area and making copies were two different things, which now I see doesn't even make sense. xD My theory right now is that the bubbles could and did make copies of things before the area was awakened, so the applications were taken there to be copied too, except this time it turned out to be a bad idea. But, as is often the case, it could use one more sentence that actually explained it. :P

"And presumably if he "rented" he had to manage payment in some way, so I refuse to buy this whole "SW doesn't understand money" thing."

Fwiw, I saw it as 'he has never needed money' (he understands it in general, it even says that he has a salary card, and working at the university is clearly not his first job) - it's easy to rent when it's the only thing he spent money on and he didn't need to save it for anything else. :)

"ZYL's POV suggests that it's because he's not worldly, but can't it just because he doesn't see the point? (He's the Emissary; he never expected to get a life with Kunlun - what does he care about mortal money? Nothing that actually matters to him can be bought with money. And even now - they're gods; the only reason they need any money at all is because they're sort of playing at living like mortals, but only in some ways, not in all.)"

I wrote the comment above and then I saw that you said basically the same thing right below it, hah - yes, this! :D :D (Though I actually see ZYL's POV stating this, more or less - maybe I didn't catch the cause and effect, I just saw it as 'SW has never needed money and he has never really engaged with the world, so he never ended up earning any'.)

"I only have the Chinese version on Bilibili, which actually says it's the year 8012. (Does anyone know what calendar that is? Google was not helpful.) The fan translation has It's already 2018."

I haven't found anything either, that's a really weird number, huh! (Google translate says "in the 2020s" when you translate the 8012 sentence, and I also don't know why because it was clearly not 2020s yet. xD) Thanks for checking the expression, I was confused too!

"I don't believe ZYL. He can blatantly disrespect ANYONE, it's his special talent! *g*"

Lolol! :D :D :D PURE FACTS. This makes me think that he doesn't want to disrespect the yao because he actually does consider them family, but of course he's not going to admit that. :)

> > His Shen-laoshi viewed cash the same way he viewed in-game currency-and not even the kind you had to buy, but the kind the game gave you for free to start.

I feel like there are two ways of taking this, and I don't like either.

Fwiw, I took it a third way - treating money like in-game currency = he understands it just fine, he just spends all of it the moment he has any. :D

"I'm choosing to believe SW is just pretending not to understand, and is in fact making sure everyone gets a holiday bonus."

And this is also 100% true at the same time, imo. :D

"1) Can he teleport?!

2) What does the sun have to do with it? He's not a ghost, since when do yao have a problem with the sun?!"

I had exactly the same questions, lol! :D Well, similar questions - he can teleport (when he visits Zhu Hong on the roof, it says "Zhu Hong accepted the box, but before she could thank him, Fourth Uncle’s silhouette flashed, and he disappeared."), but I have no idea what it has to do with the sun either?? xD Maybe water snakes specifically have a problem with the sun, or maybe everyone does because it a heatwave, but idk how it affects teleporting.

"It wasn't common knowledge in the novel when ZYL treated it very much as a real time loop!"

Damn, that's a really good point! Especially the Guardian, of all people, should have known that if it was common knowledge.

"Also, all these explanations for why it's not a time loop are way more convoluted than the actual time loop was - entirely needlessly so."

Also a very good point!

"Also, "sages"? Plural?! The fan translation has "the ancient gods", also plural. Checking the Bilibili Chinese version, yeah, it's plural - 先圣们. Huh."

This confused me for a second now that you said it, but now I went back, and Kunlun says to Nüwa, "If the Reincarnation Cycle and eternal life that Shennong spoke of can’t be achieved—if we’ve failed, if we’re wrong, if we’ve created an even greater disaster…then it was simply a failed attempt in our continued struggle." So it does sound like the Reincarnation Cycle was Shennong's idea but all the gods worked on it.

"Aw! Is he talking about the bubble's alternate SW, or is this something that happened the same way in reality? Since it later says not all the bubbles are based on his memories, I guess it did happen! And I like SW sneakily providing Kunlun's reincarnation with specialised tools. :D"

Yeah, I love the idea that the slightly-off memory helped him figure out what happened in reality, and SW giving him things is the sweetest. :D (I wonder how Shen Wei felt when ZYL was using Clarity around him in early canon. ♡♡♡ There are probably no hints in the actual novel because this was invented so much later, but still. :D)

"If it's not the real SW but only alternate bubble versions, then I don't like it as much - because then ZYL spends vastly more time with replacement goldfish than the real SW, and apparently doesn't mind. But it really does read to me like it's the real SW!"

Unless fake SW can also find the item and (pretend to) break out (which is possible I guess), I'd say that "they spent a whole lifetime together until they both found their own connection items and broke out of the cycle" means it's the real SW. :) Though I also don't get how it works because other parts sound like everyone is always in their own separate bubble, but I also like the 'real SW' explanation better, so. *shrug* :D

""Ten thousand years" and the self-immolation are the only things tying this to the drama. Not much to go on! LA LA LA I CAN'T HEAR YOU ..."

Honestly (and I say it as someone who likes a part of this, though not other parts, as I said elsewhere), there's even less than that - it doesn't even say how he dies here, and he doesn't live for ten thousand years in the drama. His drama life shouldn't feel long to him at all, unless he also lived SW's life. So the only thing that actually ties it to the drama is the behind-the-scenes intention, there's nothing in the text itself as far as I can see! :)

[It would probably be wise to delete everything I said below, so feel free to ignore it completely. :D]

I wish I could see the drama ending as hopeful - I wouldn't need to cling to this solution when it doesn't even feel applicable and I don't even like 90% of it, lol. I'm not being snarky or anything, I love that you can see it as hopeful. ♡♡♡ And I know the arguments for why it could be read as hopeful, I just don't see any of these theoretical possibilities actually happening in canon, which only makes it worse because the more SW and ZYL think it's hopeful, the more heartbreaking it is to me that what they hope for just cannot canonically happen.

I don't even vibe with the concept of non-handwavy fix-it fics because even if they try very hard, some things end up being changed, and I just want Weilan back exactly as they were in exactly the same life they had, and anything else somehow manages to make everything even sadder than just letting them stay dead? (Fortunately handwavy fix-it fics are great for that. :D) (ETA: I mean post-canon fix-its in both cases. Fix-its that avert the ending are a totally different story.)

I guess I just wanted to explain that I don't hate/discard the drama ending despite it being hopeful, I simply can't see it as anything other than fully hopeless, and in a particularly cruel way too because the characters either don't know just how hopeless it is, or they know and they're both lying to make the other feel better. So maybe that's what drove Priest to do it this way - wanting to add hope that isn't there, not trying to erase it. I promise I'm not trying to convince you of anything, and really, I'm happy that you can see it differently. :) ♡♡♡ (And honestly, I would personally love to be convinced that it's hopeful, it would make for a much better experience. :D But I think I've seen every argument and every possibility that could be canonically plausible, and all they do is make everything feel even worse than 'they simply stay dead and never come back', so unfortunately it probably can't happen.)

I'm aware that this is all just about how things feel and not something that can be debated - I'm stopping now, and it's very unlikely that I will ever bring this up again. :) ♡♡♡

"[TN. 海膽 / Sea urchin is written literally "sea gallbladder." In English, you say someone with courage as having "guts," in Chinese, you say they have "gallbladder."]"

Oh, this is so fun! And the official translation did a great job - I figured it had to have something with the osmotic pressure making something swell up, and their egos works really well. :D

"I'm not sure which of these is right, but I think buying makes more sense? (批发 is just "wholesale / bulk trade", that's all it says in Chinese.)"

The official version sounded like he used the money to start a business, but just buying lots of nuts for himself would make sense too. xD

Thank you so much for comparing the versions every time! ♡♡♡